Pull-out guide fitting for drawers

ABSTRACT

A pull-out guide fitting for drawers comprising a pull-out rail secured to the drawer and a support rail secured to the body of an article of furniture at both sides of the drawer. Arranged between the rails are carriages in which load-transmitting rolling bodies are mounted. Provided on the rails are stops which limit the travel distance of the rails. In addition there is provided at least one fluid damper which in the limit positions of the travel of the drawer damps the impact of a carriage against a stop of the rails. The fluid damper has a cylinder and a piston which is rotatably or linearly displaceable therein.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The invention relates to a pull-out guide fitting for drawers, comprising a pull-out rail fixed to the drawer, a carrier rail fixed to the body of an article of furniture at both sides of the drawer, wherein arranged between the rails are carriages, in which load-transmitting rolling bodies are mounted, and provided on the rails are stops which limit the travel distance of the rails, and wherein there is provided at least one damper which in the limit positions of the travel of the drawer, damps the impact of a carriage against a stop of the rails.

[0002] In a pull-out guide fitting of that kind, the stops on the rails bear against the carriage or carriages in the two limit positions.

[0003] In the case of such a pull-out guide fitting with intermediate rails it happens that the middle rails do not move exactly differentially in relation to the pull-out rails. For example when opening the drawer the intermediate rails may firstly remain stationary until they are entrained by the stops on the pull-out rails.

[0004] AT 407 002 B discloses a pull-out guide fitting in which the carriages are provided with buffers injection-moulded thereon.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0005] The object of the invention is to improve a pull-out guide fitting as set forth in the opening part of this specification, in terms of its smoothness of movement.

[0006] The invention seeks to provide in that respect that a particularly good damper effect is achieved. In particular the object of the invention is to improve the smoothness of operation in relation to a full extension arrangement, in which no particular control for a middle rail is provided.

[0007] The object according to the invention is attained in that the at least one damper is in the form of a fluid damper having a cylinder and a piston.

[0008] The arrangement of at least one fluid damper provides for particularly soft and gentle deceleration of the drawer.

[0009] The fluid damper can be both in the form of a linear damper having a piston which is displaceable linearly in the cylinder and also in the form of a rotary damper having a rotary piston.

[0010] Advantageously the fluid damper is in the form of an air damper, but it is also possible in accordance with the concept of the invention for it to be in the form of a liquid damper.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0011] Embodiments of the invention are described hereinafter with reference to the Figures of the accompanying drawings in which:

[0012]FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a body of an article of furniture with drawers which are suitable for being equipped with the pull-out guide fitting according to the invention,

[0013]FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic view of a pull-out guide fitting according to the invention in the fully inserted position,

[0014]FIG. 3 is a diagrammatic view of a pull-out guide fitting according to the invention in a central position,

[0015]FIG. 4 is a diagrammatic view of a pull-out guide fitting according to the invention in the fully extended position,

[0016]FIG. 5 shows the portion indicated at A in FIG. 4,

[0017] FIGS. 6 to 8 are similar views to FIGS. 2 to 4, showing a further embodiment of the invention,

[0018]FIG. 9 shows the portion indicated at A in FIG. 8,

[0019]FIG. 10 shows the portion indicated at B in FIG. 7,

[0020]FIG. 11 is a diagrammatic side view of a pull-out guide fitting according to the invention in the fully inserted position, showing a further embodiment of the invention,

[0021]FIG. 12 shows a diagrammatic side view of the pull-out guide fitting according to the invention as shown in FIG. 11 in the fully extended position,

[0022]FIG. 13 shows the portion indicated at A in FIG. 12,

[0023]FIG. 14 is a diagrammatic view of a carriage in accordance with a further embodiment of the invention,

[0024]FIG. 15 shows a perspective view of two carriage portions which are connected together by a coupling portion,

[0025]FIG. 16 shows a diagrammatic longitudinal section through a coupling portion, and

[0026]FIG. 17 shows a diagrammatic longitudinal section through a further embodiment of a coupling portion.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0027] Referring to FIGS. 2 to 13, shown in each thereof is only one side of a pull-out guide fitting. The rails 5, 6, 7 arranged on the opposite side of the drawer and the carriages 8 are of a similar configuration.

[0028] The pull-out guide fitting according to the invention is equally suitable for fitting in the drawer side frame portions and also beneath the drawer bottom 3, that is to say they can be used with the same advantages in relation to a metal or plastic drawer side frame portion and also in relation to a drawer side wall 2 of wood, as is shown in FIG. 1.

[0029] The pull-out guide fitting according to the invention has, at each side of the drawer, support rails 5 which are each secured to the respective side wall of the article of furniture, and a pull-out rail 6 mounted to the drawer. FIG. 1 further shows an intermediate rail 7. In a pull-out guide fitting of that kind, a respective carriage 8 will be arranged between the support rail 5 and the intermediate rail 7 and at least one respective carriage 8 will be arranged between the intermediate rail 7 and the pull-out rail 6. However, the invention can be used with the same advantages both in relation to a single extension arrangement which only has support rails 5 and pull-out rails 6, and also in relation to a full extension arrangement comprising support rails 5, pull-out rails 6 and intermediate rails 7.

[0030] In FIG. 1 the front panel of the drawer is identified by reference 4.

[0031] Rollers 9 are arranged in the carriages 8. The carriages 8 can also be provided with lateral compensating rollers. Those rollers however are not shown in the Figures. The rollers 9 which form the load-transmitting rolling bodies are preferably in the form of cylinders. It is also possible however to use spherical rolling bodies.

[0032] In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 2 to 5, a carriage 8 is arranged between the pull-out rail 6 and the support rail 5. At each of its two ends the carriage 8 is provided with a respective fluid damper 10 in the form of a linear damper. The fluid damper 10 has a piston 12 which is displaceable in a cylinder 11 and which is provided with a piston rod 13. In the two limit positions of the extension rail the piston rods 13 bear against stops 14 on the rails 6, 5 and the piston 12 is displaced in the cylinder 11, in which case either the damping fluid is pressed through an edge gap between the piston 12 and the cylinder wall or through openings in the piston 12 or the cylinder wall.

[0033] Provided in the cylinder 11 is a compression spring 15 which urges the piston 12 into the initial position again, as is shown in FIG. 3.

[0034] In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 6 to 10 the carriage 8 is of a two-part configuration and comprises two portions 8′, 8″ which are telescopically displaceable relative to each other. The carriage 8 in this case is provided with a telescopic guide which at the same time forms the cylinder 11 for the fluid damper 10. The fluid damper 10 is again in the form of a linear damper with a piston 12.

[0035] In this arrangement the piston 12 is fixedly connected by way of its piston rod 13 to the carriage portion 8′. In the damping operation the carriage portion 8″ is displaced relative to the piston 12. Once again the arrangement has a return spring in the form of a compression spring 15 which, after damping has occurred, urges the two carriage portions 8′, 8″ back into the readiness position again.

[0036] In the embodiment of FIGS. 11 to 13 the fluid dampers 10 are arranged at the stops 14 on the rails 5, 6. The fluid dampers 10 strike against the ends of the carriages 8 in the two limit positions of the pull-out rail 6. The fluid dampers 10 are again in the form of linear dampers with a linearly displaceable piston 12.

[0037] In the embodiment shown in FIG. 14 the carriage 8 is again in the form of a two-part component with two carriage portions 8′, 8″. Disposed in the carriage portion 8′ is a rotational damper provided with a pinion 16. The pinion 16 meshes with a rack profile 17 of the second carriage portion 8″. When the two carriage portions 8′, 8″ are moved towards each other, that is to say are pushed into each other in the damping operation, the pinion 16 is rotated and therewith also the rotational damper. The rotational damper can be provided both with a conventional rotary piston and also with a rotary piston with tiltable vanes as a vane cell damper. Once again the arrangement has a compression spring 15 which moves the two carriage portions 8′, 8″ into the readiness position after damping has occurred.

[0038] In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 15 to 17 at each side of the drawer at least two portions 8′, 8″ are connected by means of a rod-shaped coupling portion 18 to form a carriage 8. The coupling portions 18 can be of different lengths so that that provides carriages 8 of different lengths.

[0039] The coupling portions 18 and the portions 8′, 8″ of the carriages 8 are advantageously provided with push-in connections which permit the carriages 8 to be assembled without the use of a tool and to be separated also without the use of a tool.

[0040] In accordance with the invention it is provided that at least one coupling portion 18 has a fluid damper 10. Such a fluid damper 10 once again damps the impact of the carriage 8 in the front and rear limit positions of the pull-out rails 6.

[0041] In the embodiment of FIG. 16 the fluid damper 10 is in the form of a linear damper while in the embodiment of FIG. 17 it is in the form of a rotational damper. In both cases the coupling portion 18 comprises two parts 19, 20 which are telescopically displaceable relative to each other. In the embodiment of FIG. 16 a piston rod with a piston 12 is formed on the part 19, the piston 12 and the piston rod projecting into a cylindrical cavity 23 in the part 20.

[0042] Provided in the part 20 is a compression spring 15 which is supported at one end against the part 20 and at the other end against the piston 12.

[0043] A compression spring 15 is also arranged between the parts 19, 20 in the embodiment shown in FIG. 17. The compression spring 15 is supported at the one end against the part 20 and against a pushrod 24 of the part 19.

[0044] The fluid damper 10 which is in the form of a rotational damper is mounted in the part 19, and has a pinion 16 meshing with a rack profile 17 provided on the part 20. When the parts 19, 20 are compressed when a carriage 8 encounters a co-operating stop on a rail 5, 6, the fluid damper 10 which is in the form of a rotational damper is rotated and damps the impact between the rails 5, 6 and the carriage 8.

[0045] After damping has occurred in both cases the parts 19, 20 are urged away from each other again by the compression springs 15 and are pushed into the readiness position.

[0046] In accordance with the invention it is also possible for three or more portions 8′, 8″ to be connected to form a carriage 8. 

1. A pull-out guide fitting for drawers, comprising a pull-out rail fixed to the drawer, and a support rail fixed to the body of an article of furniture at both sides of the drawer, wherein arranged between the rails are carriages, in which load-transmitting rolling bodies are mounted, and provided on the rails are stops which limit the travel distance of the rails, and wherein there is provided at least one damper which in the limit positions of the travel of the drawer, damps the impact of a carriage against a stop of the rails, and the at least one damper is in the form of a fluid damper having a cylinder and a piston.
 2. A pull-out guide fitting according to claim I wherein the fluid damper is in the form of a linear damper with a piston which is linearly displaceable in the cylinder which is partially or completely filled with a damping fluid.
 3. A pull-out guide fitting according to claim I wherein the fluid damper is in the form of a rotary damper having a rotary piston mounted in a housing which is at least partially filled with the damping fluid.
 4. A pull-out guide fitting according to claim I wherein the fluid damper is in the form of an air damper.
 5. A pull-out guide fitting according to claim 1 wherein the fluid damper is in the form of a liquid damper.
 6. A pull-out guide fitting according to claim I wherein a respective fluid damper is arranged at each of the two ends of at least one carriage.
 7. A pull-out guide fitting according to claim 6 wherein the pistons of the fluid dampers are provided with piston rods which in the limit positions of the extension travel of the drawer bear against the stops of the rails.
 8. A pull-out guide fitting according to claim 1 wherein at least one carriage is of a multi-part nature and a fluid damper is arranged between the portions of the carriage.
 9. A pull-out guide fitting according to claim 8 wherein at least one carriage is of a two-part nature and a fluid damper is arranged between the two portions of the carriage.
 10. A pull-out guide fitting according to claim 8 wherein the portions of the carriage have guides and are telescopically displaceable relative to each other.
 11. A pull-out guide fitting according to claim 5 wherein the fluid dampers are arranged at the stops of the rails.
 12. A pull-out guide fitting according to claim 8 wherein arranged in one of the portions of the carriage is a rotary damper having a drive pinion meshing with a rack profile of the second portion of the carriage.
 13. A pull-out guide fitting according to claim 8 wherein a compression spring is arranged between the portions of the carriage.
 14. A pull-out guide fitting according to claim 13 wherein the compression spring is integrated into the fluid damper.
 15. A pull-out guide fitting according to claim 8 wherein two portions of a carriage are connected together by way of at least one coupling portion provided with a fluid damper.
 16. A pull-out guide fitting according to claim 5 wherein at least one coupling portion comprises two parts which are telescopically displaceable relative to each other.
 17. A pull-out guide fitting according to claim 16 wherein a spring is arranged between the two parts.
 18. A pull-out guide fitting according to claim 16 wherein a linear piston is fixed or provided on one of the parts, the linear piston projecting into a cylindrical cavity in the second part.
 19. A pull-out guide fitting according to claim 16 wherein mounted in one of the parts is a fluid damper which is in the form of a rotational damper and which is provided with a pinion meshing with a rack profile of the second part.
 20. A pull-out guide fitting according to claim 1, wherein an intermediate rail is situated between the support rail and the pull-out rail.
 21. A pull-out guide fitting according to claim 3, wherein the housing is completely filled with the damping fluid.
 22. A pull-out guide fitting according to claim 17, wherein the spring is a compression spring.
 23. A pull-out guide fitting according to claim 9 wherein the portions of the carriage have guides and are telescopically displaceable relative to each other. 